SUWANEE, Ga., April 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- FATS Inc. has been named a 2005 small business supplier of the year by Lockheed Martin.
Since 1996, the Small Business of the Year Awards have been presented annually to small businesses that have consistently provided outstanding support and products to Lockheed Martin during the previous year. FATS, a first-time recipient of this award, was honored at a reception held recently in Orlando, Fla.
"To be recognized by a respected industry giant such as Lockheed Martin, especially at such an early stage in our working relationship, is a great honor," said Ron Mohling, president and chief executive officer, FATS. "Going forward, FATS will continue to build upon the successful groundwork that has been established between our companies."
Lockheed Martin's simulation, training and support business units in Orlando and Dallas nominated and selected the winners out of the thousands of small firms that conduct business with the company. Outstanding performance in the areas of quality, delivery and cost served as judging criteria.
"Small business partners bring a unique skill set to our products and services," said Dale P. Bennett, president, Lockheed Martin simulation, training and support. "We have developed a long and valuable relationship with them and are happy to recognize the significant role they play in the success of our corporation."
Bennett, along with colleagues Bob Costello, vice president of materials, missiles and fire control, Gary Bartmann, vice president of procurement, strategic sourcing solutions, and Michael Bush, director of supplier diversity, presented the award to Bob Dare, vice president of sales, FATS.
FATS was one of seven recipients of the 2005 Small Business of the Year Award in various simulation, training and support supplier categories.
About FATS Inc.
FATS Inc., a subsidiary of Firearms Training Systems Inc. (BULLETIN BOARD: FATS) , is a leading technology company providing fully- integrated, simulated training to professional military and law enforcement personnel. Utilizing quality engineered weapon simulators, FATS' state-of-the- art virtual training solutions offer judgmental, tactical and combined arms experiences. The company serves domestic and international customers from its headquarters in Suwanee, Ga. and has branch offices in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and United Kingdom. The ISO-certified company was founded in 1984. For more information, visit http://www.fatsinc.com/.
About Lockheed Martin Corporation
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs approximately 135,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2005 sales of $37.2 billion. Please visit http://www.lockheedmartin.com/ for more information.
Except for financial information contained in this press release, the matters discussed may consist of forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The accuracy of the forward-looking statements, including statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of the company, is necessarily subject to a number of risks and other factors which could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Among such factors including those discussed above are: general business and economic conditions; the company's success in competing for new contract awards; customer acceptance of and demand for the company's new products; receipt and delivery of a sufficient level of orders from new and existing customers as well as satisfactory completion of delivery of a sufficient portion of backlog; the company's overall ability to design, test and introduce new products on a timely basis; the cyclical nature of the markets addressed by the company's products; and the risk factors listed from time to time in documents on file with the SEC. When used in this release, the words "believes," "estimates," "plans," "expects," "should," "will," "may," "might," "anticipates" or similar expressions as they relate to the company or its management are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The company, from time to time, becomes aware of rumors concerning the company or its business. As a matter of policy, the company does not comment on rumors. Investors are cautioned that in this age of instant communication and Internet access, it may be important to avoid relying on rumors and unsubstantiated information regarding the company. The company complies with federal and state law applicable to disclosure of information concerning the company. Investors may be at significant risk in relying on unsubstantiated information from other sources.
